Page 12 of Baking for His Omega

“Got any plans today?” one of the other dads asked me.

“I have lunch with a friend. The PBJ place?”

“That place is great. Has Wyatt had peanut butter before?”

I nodded. “He has. Our healer advised me to give him some pretty early right there in his office. And then I give him some about twice a week. All good. How about your cub?”

We got into a conversation about allergies and shifters. Of course, the shifter part was in hushed tones because there were humans present. A lot of humans in Oliver Creek knew about shifters, but in my experience, you could never be too careful.

“So who is the friend? Is that too nosey?” he asked.

“Not at all. It’s Gideon. He owns Bearly Baked?”

Jason groaned. “That place is sinful, and I’m happily and well mated, but Gideon…” He fanned himself. “That man is sex on a stick. I’m surprised he is still single.”

Jason didn’t mean anything by it, but a bit of jealousy rose up in me. My shifter animal wasn’t an angry one—not a predator. Still, I was upset.

Jason put his hand on mine. “I meant no offense. You said he was a friend.”

“He is.”

My newest pal smiled. “Are you sure? That’s not the reaction of a friend. Maybe I should mind my own business.”

I sighed. “No, you’re right. There’s a part of me that knows he won’t stay in that space forever.”

“Ah. And your…other half, your deer?”

Laughing, I shook my head. Jason was very insightful. “Pretty much the same thing you said about Gideon but more.”

“They are very loud when it comes to mates and Fate, aren’t they? That’s the thing about Fate though. Once she speaks, there’s no shutting her up.”

“That’s true.”

Storytime was soon over and I had only two hours before our date/not date.

I had gone online to look at the restaurant’s menu. They had every kind of nut butter, jam and jelly, and baked breads. There were so many options, I thought I might lean on Gideon’s opinion to choose.

Wyatt went down for an early nap and, while I liked to keep him on schedule, this time it was welcomed. It gave me time to shower and select an outfit.

I wanted to look nice but also, this was a friendly date.

Oh, man, I had it bad. I was constantly in opposition to what my animal insisted on, and being in conflict with his beast was the last thing a shifter needed. He demanded Gideon. I wanted to be healed before I even thought about another alpha in my life.

I finally decided on a pair of navy shorts and a navy-and-white striped button-down shirt. I rolled up the sleeves. Not too casual. Not too dressed up.

Instead of sitting and waiting for the time to leave, I walked around the house picking up toys, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of on Gideon. His charm. His sexy smile. The way everything he baked was perfect.

Then I decided to wallow in the thoughts instead of denying them. What kind of alpha Gideon would be. I would bet hedidn’t have to be asked for the bare minimum. He seemed like someone who loved affection and didn’t mind a little PDA. Judson didn’t want to hold hands or kiss in public. He said those things were for behind closed doors.

Also, behind closed doors was where he demeaned me and was downright nasty and mean. His touch rarely held any affection—especially toward the end.

Gideon would never behave like that.

Goddess, maybe he was mine. The PBJ place was about four blocks into town and the walk would be good for the both of us, but we would stop by the bakery to pick up our date/non-date first. Despite the friendship agreement, my stomach was buzzing with excitement.

Wyatt liked Gideon too. He’d gone to him at the party, wanting to be held.

I would bet his embrace was as warm as his personality.

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